UPDATE: 2026/11/09 11:50 EST BY SEAN MCMANUS

Hemi Engine Pros And Cons

We added a section to discuss what modern Hemi engines have going for them, despite their flaws.

A lifter tick has been synonymous with the Dodge Hemi V8 for around 15 years. Hemi V8s of all sizes eating their lifters and camshafts is known and feared as the dreaded Hemi Tick, and the only fix has been to replace piles of new parts and hope the block is still good. Now a YouTube mechanic who specializes in the engine thinks he has found the source. And a solution.

It’s all based around some changes the company made to these engines around 2009.

After 2,000 Rebuilds, Mechanic Has Identified The Problem

Dave Miller of YouTube channel Hemi Garage Hacks has an incredibly narrow focus for the channel. He’s all about the modern Hemi V8 and how to modify and fix them, and Miller has spent countless hours trying to fix or prevent the dreaded Hemi Tick, which is the sound made by a failed lifter as it contacts the camshaft and the engine’s valves. Miller says he has built more than 2,000 Hemis at his shop, which is a substantial résumé.

A lifter tick is just a symptom of the problem. The lifter can’t get enough oil from the engine to lubricate the bearings. The bearings fail and the roller on the end of the lifter stops rolling. That grinds down the camshaft, destroying it and spreading loads of metal shrapnel around the engine.

Miller compared a camshaft from a 2003-2008 engine and from a later 2009 and up engine. He showed how the older style engine had a tiny gap that let oil from the oil gallery into the lifter as the system turned. The newer engine didn’t have that gap. Miller says that the oil band in the new engine ends up 0.88 mm short of the oil gallery, so there’s not enough flow to get through and properly lubricate the lifter.

Putting the old cam in the new engine seems to have fixed the problem, and you can see through the scope that suddenly there is an oil gap. Miller said that it was the result of changes Stellantis made to the block and camshaft to fit a displacement-on-demand system.

But Does He Have A Solution?

At this point, you can’t just swap in the old cam. Miller said he is working on a new lifter design that would fix the problem. He has reached out for funding and help to try and bring the fix to production. Miller has modified one set of lifters and is testing it now. He shows in the video (and in the image above) the difference in oil flow between the standard new Hemi design and his modified one, and the extra oil is immediately obvious.

He says it’s not the only way to fix the problem. A higher-lift camshaft could help, or one could machine a groove into the lifter bore. Those two fixes are much more involved and have serious downsides.

Obviously, it needs more testing, but the commenters on the video sure love the idea. Many of them have had to go through expensive engine rebuilds, and the idea of an affordable preventative measure holds massive appeal.

Hemi Engine Pros And Cons

Chrysler’s Hemi engines have been the subject of reliability discourse for many years at this point. That said, do they have enough going for them to warrant choosing one over the competition? Well, you’ve heard all about lifter tick, and know that’s a common destructive issue with modern Hemis. Other cons include terrible fuel economy, and the engine itself is rather heavy. We would be pressed to find any Hemi buyer who cares about fuel economy — otherwise they’d choose a more sensible Hurricane engine — and the engine’s weight might not matter too much to people who are already committed to buying a full-size truck, anyway.

If you can find a permanent solution to lifter tick, then the modern Hemi engines have a lot going for them. Firstly, they’re great for high-performance applications. They can accept larger valves, which means more air (and fuel) to support higher power outputs. If it wasn’t for their lifter tick, the engines are built for abuse. Deep skirt engine blocks, cross-bolted main bearing caps, stronger connecting rods, and more heavy-duty parts mean these engines will go the extra mile.

CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:

It doesn’t happen to all of them, but a huge portion of 5.7-liter Hemis, found in Ram trucks, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Dodge Durangos, and Dodge Charger and Challenger models, will suffer from the Hemi Tick problem. Until now, the only fix has been a temporary one: replace your lifters and cam, then hope it doesn’t happen again.

This could change all of that and eliminate a big headache for owners.

H/T: The Drive